A U.S. online trade news service says the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement will unlikely go into effect from January first as scheduled.

Inside U.S. Trade says South Korea asked the U.S. to put the trade deal into effect on the first of the year in recent working-level talks held in Washington. However, the U.S. rejected the request, saying it needs more time for the final review of the trade pact before implementing it.

The trade news provider quoted business sources as saying the effectuation of the Korea-U.S. FTA may be delayed until mid-February due to a year-end vacation and the U.S. Trade Representative‘s failure to complete translating South Korea’s related laws and regulations.

Sources say U.S. government officials regard U.S. President Barack Obama's trip to Seoul in late March for the Nuclear Security Summit as a deadline by which all steps must be completed to put the deal into effect.